Rangers GM Jon Daniels gets multiyear contract extension

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) The Texas Rangers have given general manager Jon Daniels a multiyear contract extension at a time when the team is focused on developing young players at the big league level.

Texas missed the playoffs last season and was 27-37 going into Thursday night’s home game against defending World Series champion Houston. But the Rangers have made their only two World Series appearances during Daniels’ 13 seasons as GM, and won four AL West titles.

”There is a definite sense of urgency, not for a quick fix by any stretch … but a sense of urgency in everything that we do to make progress, to put building blocks in place and keep going,” Daniels said Thursday. ”Our focus has been on just re-establishing a foundation for a long-term sustainable model to win here for a long time.”

Daniels’ contract had been scheduled to expire at the end of this season. He is also the team’s president of baseball operations.

When Daniels replaced John Hart after the 2005 season, he was 28 and the youngest GM ever in baseball. Daniels turns 41 on Aug. 24.

Only New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who has been in that job since 1998, has a longer tenure among current general managers. Daniels is already the longest-tenured GM in Rangers history.

The Rangers gave Daniels an extension in November 2014 that went through this season, and ownership had indicated since the offseason that another extension was coming.

”His track record demonstrates clearly that he is the right person to lead the Rangers back to contending for championships once again,” Rangers co-chairman and managing partner Ray Davis said in a statement. ”Our ownership group trusts Jon’s judgment and respects his experience and skill as well as that of his baseball operations leadership team.”

Texas currently has seven position players ages 23-to-25 who are getting regular playing time, including young sluggers Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara. The Rangers also have the only current two-decade players in the majors – active career hits leader Adrian Beltre and 45-year-old right-hander Bartolo Colon.

Daniels never likes to use the term ”rebuilding” and is wary of publicly putting a timetable on when the Rangers might be consistent contenders again.

”We’d absolutely love to be ready to really win in 2020,” Daniels said, before acknowledging that could be a stretch for their younger, talented players in the low minors.

That is the year the Rangers are scheduled to move into their new ballpark, which is under construction across the street from Globe Life Park.

”We’re not going to artificially push them for that. We think this group of players has a chance to be really special and help us win a championship, and we don’t want to short-circuit that,” Daniels said. ”But we definitely believe when we open this new ballpark, we’re going to have an exciting, young team that’s going to play a brand of baseball that our fans really like.”